My toddler got hit by a soccer ball yesterday at the park and now has a nasty bruise on his arm. I was wondering if there is anything I can use to put on his arm to help heal the bruise heal faster? I heard of arnica but dont know much about it. Any one with experience with this?
Arnica is great! You can take it orally (little sugar-tasting pellets under the mouth) or rub arnica gel on the site. We use it all the time and it is VERY effective for preventing bruising.
NOTE: Arnica gel should never be used on open wounds.
You can find it at health food stores and some GNCs even carry holistic care items like this.
YES, Arnica gel or ointment is great.
I use it as well as my entire family.
It helps a great deal.
Whole Foods or any natural food store or GNC stores will have it.
Every mom should have Hyland's Bumps and Bruises stick (arnica) in her first aid bag!
It is wonderful!
I also recently discovered this little gem: http://www.carolbond.com/Sovereign-Silver-First-Aid-Gel-H...
Awesome stuff!
Arnica is great for bruises, and so is St. John's Wort (Hypericum). I keep them both on hand all the time, and they're great for a range of small injuries (avoid broken skin). Some cosmetic surgeons even recommend it. The sooner they are applied after injury, the better, but they will even help older bruises resolve faster.
I got slammed in the face by a young goat a few years ago, and by the time I got to my bathroom my eye had swollen almost closed, with huge bruises spreading up my forehead. It was bad. I started applying arnica and hypericum, alternating between the two every 20 minutes. Four hours later, there was no sign of a black eye, no bruising, no swelling, and very little tenderness. There was only a small tear in the skin under my eyebrow.
You can buy these ingredients separately or combined, suspended in oil or various creams and salves. You can also get tiny homeopathic pellets to melt under the tongue, which can be pleasantly distracting to a child crying from pain. I think they all work well, but my favorite has always been the suspension in olive oil. I've found this at several different health food stores.
I carry it in my purse, we have some at home. We use both the arnica ointment and the homeopathic tablets. It works amazingly well.
I just bought some for my husband a few weeks back. He was in an accident, and had bruises up and down his arms. It worked great. But at the pharmacy where I bought it (CVS) it was behind the counter and you had to ask for it, I guess not everyone knows about it. I had to go to 3 different pharmacies for it, and some had not heard of it.
I don't know what Arnica is but I use Pain-A-Trate. It helps take the soreness out and helps it heal faster.
